CarolineWalker&Abel

How did you two meet?

We actually met at a friend’s birthday party our freshman year of high school. I (Caroline) had just moved to Oxford from Florida in June of 2011, and school had just started so I did not know a lot of people. I had heard of Walker before the party, and when I saw he was there I truly just walked right up and asked “Are you Walker Abel?” He said, “I am!” To which I responded with, “Well I’m Caroline Powell” and we did not speak another word that night! We got to know each other by attending high school football games, and started dating on October 1st, 2011. We have been in each other’s lives for the last 12 years. Not always as a couple, however the time together vastly outweighs the time apart.

Tell us about the proposal

The night Walker first asked me to be his girlfriend, we were crossing the street on the square that connects Neilson’s to Hinton & Hinton. So when it became time to propose, he brought me back to the same spot. Well, almost the same spot! His original plan was to stop in the middle of the crosswalk and get down on one knee, however it was raining pretty hard so he opted to do it on the corner of Neilson’s. I had a feeling it was coming as we had talked a lot about it, but it never truly hit me until he got down on one knee. We then went back to my parent’s house to celebrate with both of our families!

Describe your Wedding Dress

I was 100% the girl who had always dreamed about her wedding, let alone her wedding dress. For years I would look at wedding dresses for fun just to see what was out there. I’m pretty sure I had been following wedding dress designers on instagram at least 1 year before we even got engaged. One of the designers I had followed was Allison Webb. I had seen her post the dress in April of 2021 as part of her fall collection and immediately fell in love with it. It was actually the first dress I tried on! It is a strapless,eggshell matte twill fit to flare gown with delicate beaded embroidery, cuff neckline, and a removeable embroidered bow. I absolutely fell in love with it! It was classic as well as chic, and made me feel incredible.

Favorite Moment from your Big Day

My favorite moment was at the beginning of the ceremony. We didn’t do a first look, so we were dying to see each other by the time the wedding started. I was waiting in the back of the church, and started peeking out the window to watch before it was time for me to walk. The moment I saw Walker enter from the side door by the alter is when I started crying. He looked so cute and it truly hit me that I was about to marry my best friend.

Favorite Wedding Details

Some of my favorite details: Oxford Floral was able to incorporate the fabric roses from my mom’s veil into my bouquet which served as my something old. Everything Oxford Floral made was absolutely breathtaking. We both worked there for many years and that store and the people who work there hold such a special place in our hearts! I also loved that instead of a guest book, we had a vintage phone that allowed our guests to leave us voicemails. We were also able to use the silver chalices that my parents and my grandparents used at their weddings. Last thing, this isn’t really a “detail” but it actually was so special that Ole Miss won the College World Series the weekend of our wedding. We were worried about it going into the wedding weekend, however it ended up making our whole night because once the Rebels won Walker got on stage and led all of our guests in the Hotty Toddy chant! What you’re doing now

We live in Atlanta and are absolutely loving it! Walker works as an IT Analyst for Meridian Cooperative, and Caroline works as a Tax Consultant for Deloitte. We have made some wonderful friends here and plan to stay for awhile. However it is hard to keep us from Oxford, especially since both of our parents live there!

Ceremony date

June 25, 2022

Venue

Oxford University United Methodist Church

Reception Venue

The Lyric

Florist

Oxford Floral Co.

Caterer

A&N Catering

Caterer

Bride’s Cake: Alice Chow

Wedding dress

Allison Webb

Bridesmaid dresses

Bella Bridesmaids

Hair and Makeup

Kristin Legge

Groom and Groomsmen attire

Thomas Brothers Formal Wear

Music

Kidd Blue from Auburn, AL

Bar

The Lyric